Last Minute Changes / News

Advance Tickets now available: Westbury/Warminster (Imber Range walk)
Advance Tickets still available: Newport (Wales) for Abergavenny or Crickhowell.
Southeastern Summer Offer. £20 Margate, Hastings, £25 Folkestone. No railcard discount. After 9:30 M-F, anytime w/end. To 18 Aug.

The start of the "summer silence": See Nature Blog

Translations at the National Theatre

Brian Friel’s modern classic is a powerful account of nationhood, which sees the turbulent relationship between England and Ireland play out in one quiet community.  Following a sold-out run in 2018, Ian Rickson’s exquisite production of Brian Friel's masterpiece returns at National Theatre, starring Ciaran Hinds (Game of Thrones, Girl from the North Country)

Public booking starts on May 3, to book, please click here.   Meet at Kitchen Cafe on the ground floor of the National Theatre for F&B from 6pm.

Two ways of getting cheaper tickets 

£20 Friday Rush - Every Friday at 1pm, a limited number of £20 Friday Rush tickets are released online for each of the following week’s performances, excluding West End productions. These are limited to 2 per customer, per production

Day Tickets - A limited number of day tickets are available in person at 9.30am from the Ground Floor Box Office.They are priced at £15 or £18, are limited to two per customer and may offer a restricted view. For popular productions, queues may start early outside the main National Theatre entrance.

Abergavenny or Crickhowell Trip: The Black Mountains (mostly) – 4 Days of Walking -- More detailed individual posts to follow

Arrive in Abergavenny any time before 10.50 hours Friday 13^th of September; either by car, or by train [Paddington – Newport (Wales) + Newport – Abergavenny] [plus bus for Crickhowell: Line 43/X43 from the bottom of Station Road or from the Bus Station (see the Sugarloaf Walk’s pdf for a route description)]. To get the best prices you may have to book separate tickets Paddington – Newport (Wales) and Newport – Abergavenny (this can be booked on the day as the price is always the same), as these lines are run by different operators.  
Advance Train Tickets are now on sale for the outbound and return journeys to/from Newport.

The Walks, based on the current bus schedules (picnic lunch on all but one of the walks): 

·     Friday 13^th  of September

SWC 332 Llangynidr to Bwlch or Circular

This walk leads from Llangynidr village up along a tight valley, the Cwm Cleisfer, and onto the open limestone uplands of Mynydd Llangynidr, initially along a lane then through pastures, in the latter stages with some difficult-to-find-and-negotiate paths near the transition to the open moorland. Mynydd Llangynidr is a basically treeless undulating mountain of open limestone uplands with numerous depressions, shake holes and pits, as well as many ancient cairns (burial mounds) dotted across the moorland. You climb to the source of the Cleisfer, a perfect picnic spot, and then across the scarred landscape (map and compass come in handy) to the Chartist Cave, arguably one of Wales' most important historic monuments. The Chartists were a 19^th century working-class movement for political reform and this cave is where the local group met and stored weapons before the Newport Rising of 1839.

You cross the top of the moorland hill and descend to a remote road by an active limestone quarry and pick up a former tramway for transporting goods to the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal to skirt around the rim of the picturesque wooded Crawnon Valley. A stretch along a ridge high above the Talybont Reservoir is followed by a descent through lush pastures back to Llangynidr. To complete the walk, cross the Usk River and ascend to Bwlch on the other side for a return bus. 
10.50 Bus Line 43 from Abergavenny (11.10 Crickhowell), arrives Llangynidr 11.26. Return buses from Bwlch (Line X43): 17.21, 18.21.

·     Saturday 14^th  of September

SWC 335 Pandy Inn to Llanvihangel Crucorney (via Llanthony Priory)

This route at the south easterly end of the Black Mountains area in the Brecon Beacons National Park starts with a steep ascent onto an Iron Age hillfort site and on to Hatterrall Hill, and then follows Offa’s Dyke Path and the Beacons Way across Hatterrall Hill and the largely heathery – but in parts boggy – open moorland of the dramatic Hatterrall Ridge with fine panoramic views from this natural boundary of a ridge up along the wild, lonely and beautiful Vale of Ewyas (the valley of the River Honddu and the easternmost valley of The Black Mountains) and across the South Wales mountain ranges to the west, and over the plains of the Welsh/English borderlands to the east, on a good day all the way to The Cotswolds and the Malvern Hills.

A dramatic descent at the start of the return leads down into the Vale of Ewyas with a bird’s eye view of the fascinating ruins of Llanthony Priory, the remnants of one of Wales’s great medieval buildings, and to lunch at its cellar bar or a nearby pub.

The return down the glacial valley between steep ridges offers fantastic views to the Sugar Loaf and Skirrid mountains near Abergavenny, some old oak woodlands, river meadows and plenty of waterways streaming down the hillsides. A memorable highlight is Cwmyoy village, both for the ascent of the superb viewpoint of a crag above the village and for the renowned crooked church, bent and twisted due to the still active landslide on which it was built.

09.35 Bus Line X3 from Abergavenny, arrives Penbidwal, Pandy Inn 09.51. From Crickhowell take the 08.11 to Abergavenny (leaves time for breakfast in Abergavenny). Return buses: 17.10, 18.07, connecting to Crickhowell at 17.50, 18.50.

·     Sunday 15^th  of September

SWC 334 Sugarloaf (Abergavenny Circular)

From the pretty town centre of Abergavenny walk up the iconic Sugar Loaf mountain, initially steeply up through lush pastures and ancient oak woods to Twyn-yr-Allt, a former settlement on one of the lower foothills of the Black Mountains. From there continue along the mildly undulating treeless plateau to Deri hill, covered in whimberries, bracken and gorse before turning steeply up the barren easterly flank of Sugar Loaf through the upland heathland, to the summit ridge of the southernmost peak of the Black Mountains, with superb panoramic views (in good weather) across South Wales and South West England.
Descend gently down the heather and gorse-covered flanks and continue along the gentle ridge of Mynydd Llanwenarth to descend more steeply through the large ancient oak wood of Deri Fach into St. Mary’s Vale and along the spring-fed Nant Iago (stream) to tea at the superb Sugar Loaf Vineyard’s Café and Tasting Room, before re-tracing the outbound route through the town centre.

Sugar Loaf is an immensely popular destination. The chosen route avoids paths from and to popular car parks, preferring quieter paths, while providing for a mixture of environments and views in all directions.

09.30 Start at the Train Station, group passes Bus Station at 09.40.

From Crickhowell take the 09.25 (Bus Line X43) to Abergavenny, arrives 09.39 at the Bus Station. Return buses to Crickhowell: 16.15, 18.15.

·     Monday 16^th  of September

SWC 333 Crickhowell Circular via Table Mountain and the Three Pens

From the centre of the rightly popular town of Crickhowell, within minutes you rise up steeply (with an 12% average gradient) for 3 km – mainly through pastures – to the excellent viewpoint that is the eponymous Iron Age hillfort site of Crug Hywel (or Table Mountain), which gives its name to the town and towers above the Usk Valley. You ascend further up the flank of the main mountain range above the town to Pen Cerrig-calch, the first of three high tops along the ridge. Continue to the slightly higher second top, Pen Allt-mawr and down to the third top, Pen Twyn Glas. The further descent now follows the easterly spur of the range with a gentle gradient and some fantastic views to the valleys either side and out to Sugarloaf/Y Fâl. A short stretch of road walking is followed by a re-ascent up to the col between Table Mountain and Pen Cerrig-calch and then follows the Beacons Way contouring the hill for a while before dropping down to town through the ancient woodland of the Cwm Cumbeth, with the bubbling Cumbeth Brook never far away. The route finishes through the heart of Crickhowell past most of its tea options.

Shorter walks, descending back to town on westerly loops from either Table Mountain, Pen Cerrig-calch or Pen Allt-mawr, are described.
An out-and-back extension to Waun Fach, the highest top in the Black Mountains, or a variation past it and down its main easterly spur, are shown as map-led walks.

10.00 Bus Line X43 from Abergavenny, arrives Crickhowell 10.20. Return buses: 16.41, 17.31, 18.31.

p.s. for a mountain weather forecast for the area we’ll walk in, either check our very own website on the respective walk’s page, for example here, or try the ever reliable Mountain Weather Information Service and their forecast for the Brecon Beacons here. There are also live webcams at the Brecon Beacons National Park’s Visitor Centre, available here.

The Secret River at the National Theatre

A deeply moving and unflinching journey into Australia’s dark history. Adapted from Kate Grenville’s acclaimed novel, this multi-award-winning production from Sydney Theatre Company tells the story of two families divided by culture and land. 

William Thornhill arrives in New South Wales a convict from the slums of London. Upon earning his pardon he discovers that this new world offers something he didn’t dare dream of: a place to call his own. But as he plants a crop and lays claim to the soil on the banks of the Hawkesbury River, he finds that this land is not his to take. Its ancient custodians are the Dharug people.

To book, please click here.  Meet at the Kitchen Cafe on the ground floor of the National Theatre for F&B from 5:30pm 

Two ways of getting cheaper tickets 

£20 Friday Rush - Every Friday at 1pm, a limited number of £20 Friday Rush tickets are released online for each of the following week’s performances, excluding West End productions. These are limited to 2 per customer, per production

Day Tickets - A limited number of day tickets are available in person at 9.30am from the Ground Floor Box Office.They are priced at £15 or £18, are limited to two per customer and may offer a restricted view. For popular productions, queues may start early outside the main National Theatre entrance.

BBC Prom at Royal Albert Hall

Prom  44

Sir Simon Rattle conducts a concert of sonic spectacle, bringing one of the great English oratorios together with an American orchestral classic.

Walton’s choral masterpiece Belshazzar’s Feast gets the Proms treatment with a 300-strong choir and Canadian baritone Gerald Finley as soloist.

More than 10 percussionists are needed to bring Varese’s Amériques – a celebration of the modern city in sound – to life, while Charles Koechlin’s Jungle Book inspired Les bandar-logtransports listeners to the primeval forest, where all the noise comes from the monkeys.

Koechlin
Les bandar-log 16’

Varese
Amériques (original version,1921) 25’

– interval –

Walton
Belshazzar’s Feast 34’

Gerald Finley baritone

Orfeo Catala
Orfeo Catala Youth Choir
London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle conductor

To book, please click here. Alternatively, you can just prom on the day. Meet at the steps of Albert Memorial for picnic from 6pm. 

Sunday Walk - A White Horse, three Iron Age Hillforts & the Imber Live Firing Range on Salisbury Plain: Westbury to Warminster

Westbury to Warminster

Length:  30.4 km (18.9 mi)

Ascent/Descent:  494/436 m

Net Walking Time: ca. 7 hours

Toughness:  9 out of 10 

            or

start from Bratton or Edington, and/or finish in Heytesbury, from as little as 16.5 km/10.3 mi (rated 3/10)

[due to the buses not running on Sundays, these options require a taxi journey today]

Take the 09.00 Penzance train from Paddington (09.34 Reading, 09.49 Newbury), arriving Westbury at 10.22.

Return trains: fast walkers may get the 17.44 from Warminster, but realistically the 18.23  or subsequent trains are the most likely return trains.

Ticketing is somewhat complicated, as both stations are outside the Network Southeast area, here are the options, ranked by expense:

(A) Cheapest will be Advance Tickets (currently £25.50 for the outbound train from Paddington and £14.20 for the 18.23 return to Waterloo, at full price, lower still with Railcards).

(B) Split Tickets (London-Newbury return + Newbury-Warminster return) are an option, but you will have to travel back via Westbury to Paddington, and on a train that stops at Newbury! The Network Railcard is valid to Newbury. The same logic applies to tickets split at Reading.

(C) GWR-only Off-Peak Warminster Return - you have to return to Paddington  (and change at Westbury or Swindon).

(D) Off-Peak Warminster Return - valid on all returns into Waterloo and Paddington.

“Little Imber on the Downe, 7 miles from any towne.”

Bookended by indifferent, tarmac-heavy urban stretches through Westbury and Warminster, this walk is a fascinating journey across the Imber Live Firing Range on Salisbury Plain, an accidental wilderness due to having been MoD property since 1898, and out-of-bounds for most of the year, apart from short stand downs over Christmas and Easter and for some days in August (most years). Imber village itself was abandoned in 1943 at five weeks’ notice to be used for training house-to-house combat in preparation for the invasion of Continental Europe and is one of the most haunting and evocative places visited on any SWC walk. Imber Church will be open 11.00-15.30 hours today.

Either side of the Plain the route conquers five hills, three of which with notable remnants of Iron Age hillfort sites: Bratton Camp, Scratchbury Camp and Battlesbury Camp, and also passes Wiltshire’s largest White Horse, at Westbury. You get superb views across Salisbury Plain and of the surrounding countryside of Wiltshire and Somerset.

Shorter walks, starting from Bratton or Edington, or finishing in Heytesbury, involve short taxi journeys, due to the buses not running on Sundays.

Note 1: Before embarking on this walk, please read the chapters on Public Safety and Access Rights on Salisbury Plain/Imber Range and on General Health & Safety Rules for military areas and ranges on page 2 in the walk directions pdf.

Note 2: These rare Open Days on the Imber Range are very popular; we may be the only walkers in Imber when we get there, but there will be lots of other people coming by car or bike. Please stay out of the cordoned off areas, even if others don’t! The MOD have threatened to stop Open Days completely if people keep straying into those areas.

Picnic lunch (although there will be hot drinks and biscuits sold at Imber Church (14.4 km/9.0 mi).

For the tea options in Heytesbury and Warminster check page 2 of the walk directions. T=swc.286

For the walk directions, a map, a height profile, gpx/kml files and photos click here.